The abacus is directly related to mental math because it builds the foundation for visual calculation skills and *number sense, allowing children to perform fast and accurate calculations *mentally without external tools. Here’s how:

🔢 1. Visualization of Numbers (Pictorial Thinking)

• In abacus training, children first use the physical tool.
• Gradually, they begin to visualize the beads and move them in their mind—this is called mental abacus.
• This visualization sharpens memory and helps them perform calculations without the abacus, boosting mental math skills.

🧠 2. Left & Right Brain Development

• Using an abacus activates both left brain (logic, numbers) and right brain (creativity, visualization).
• This balance enhances mental agility, helping with quick calculations, pattern recognition, and memory—all essential to mental math.

⏱ 3. Speed and Accuracy

• Abacus users can calculate faster than those using calculators once trained.
• This is because mental abacus users don’t count—they “see” the result, just like reading a number from memory.
• This improves both speed and accuracy in mental arithmetic.

🔁 4. Practice of Core Operations

• Abacus builds strong fluency in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
• These repeated patterns create mental shortcuts, making it easier to solve more complex problems mentally.

🔎 5. Strong Foundation of Place Value & Number System

• Abacus reinforces understanding of place value, carrying, and borrowing, which is key in mental math.
• This understanding allows children to manipulate numbers mentally with confidence.

✅ Summary:

Abacus ➝ Visualization ➝ Mental Abacus ➝ Strong Mental Math.
It’s a step-by-step transformation from physical movement to mental calculation, which makes abacus one of the most effective tools to build strong mental math abilities in children.

Source: https://aristokids.in/how-abacus-is-directly-related-to-mental-maths/